Lafayette played without forward Dan Trist for the second straight game, due to an ankle injury, and Morehead State took advantage, scoring 42 points inside the paint on 54 percent shooting.

Aggressive defensive pressure from Morehead State set the tone early, as the Eagles (3-1) scored the game’s first 10 points prior to Scott’s triple at 14:36. The three, off a feed from Tony Johnson (10 assists), came after seven Leopard turnovers to start the game. After a bucket underneath for the home team, Lafayette ripped off eight straight points to pull within one at 12-11.

Trailing 18-14 at the 9:19 mark, Lafayette (1-3) entered the bonus as Morehead State picked up its seventh foul of the period on the perimeter. Scott knocked down two at the line, before Seth Hinrichs (18 points) tied the game with a pair of his own the next time down.

Lafayette then took its first lead (22-21) on a Hinrichs reverse transition layup after Scott drilled a corner three on the Leopards’ previous trip. The Maroon and White took control of the ball when Zach Rufer stepped in to take a charge on MSU’s Milton Chavis (18 points, 7-of-11 FG). A dunk by Jason Holmes tied the score at 24 before Scott connected on his third three of the half. The freshman guard scored 13 of his 17 points in the first 20 minutes.

The teams went into the locker room locked at 33 thanks to five points by Ptasinski. The two sides combined for 29 first-half turnovers, 17 of which were credited to the Leopards.

Much like the first half, MSU scored the first seven points after halftime, but Lafayette came right back with consecutive threes by Rufer and Hinrichs to cut the deficit to one (40-39). Chavis then drilled a pair of treys himself, before Ptasinski hit one for Lafayette.

A Johnson basket drew Lafayette within two (46-44) before Morehead State used a 9-2 run to push its advantage back to ten points by the 12 minute mark. Ptasinski ended the spurt with a left-wing three, his fourth of seven, just before Johnson found Levi Giese for a transition slam, making it a five-point game.

Morehead State matched its largest lead of the game on a Chavis lay-in in to cap an 8-2 stretch and force Lafayette to call timeout with seven minutes remaining. Another Lafayette turnover preceded an Angelo Warner (10 points) long ball off a feed from Devon Atkinson (10 assists) to make it a 13-point advantage.

Lafayette refused to go away, though, as Ptasinski sank consecutive threes in the right wing and Hinrichs added a pair at the stripe to draw the Leopards within five (70-65) with under five to play. A layup by Morehead State briefly stopped the run, before Giese hit 3-of-4 at the line as Lafayette entered the double-bonus (72-68).

MSU scored eight of the next 10 points, including four by Drew Kelly (12 points), capped Atkinson’s baseline jumper to put the game away with 90 seconds remaining. The Eagles ran the final total to 88-74 as Lafayette finished with 29 turnovers.

Lafayette wraps up play in the Barclays Center Classic and its three-game road trip when it travels to College Park, Md. on Tuesday. Tipoff against Maryland at the Comcast Center is set for 8 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN3.com.

Lafayette Athletics, as a partner in the mission of the College, provides and incredibly effective
learning experience for student-athletes through competitive NCAA Division I
athletics. Lafayette sponsors 23 varsity sports with more than 600 student-athletes.